Middlesbrough have been linked with an audacious swoop for wantaway West Ham star Paulo Di Canio.

The Italian hotshot has fallen out with Hammers boss Glenn Roeder and seems certain to leave Upton Park this summer, when his current contract at Upton Park expires.

Celtic, Chievo, Como and Napoli have been credited with an interest in the 34-year-old, but reports in Italy now claim Boro have been in touch with the player's agent.

But possible stumbling blocks could be Di Canio's wage demands - thought to be in the region of &#xA3;30,000-a-week and out of the range of Boro chairman Steve Gibson's new wage structure - and a notoriously suspect temperament.

Meanwhile, Boro are believed to have made enquiries about Torino's 27-year-old midfielder Simone Vergassola with a view to a swap deal involving on-loan Carlos Marinelli.

And the Teessiders are also understood to be keeping tabs on veteran Italy striker Giuseppe Signori, with the 35-year-old set to quit Bologna in the summer.